IN INDIVIDUALS WHO LOST A PARENT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY, THE GOD IMAGE AND RELIGIOUS COPING

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal what kind of a God image the university students, who lost their parents, have over their autobiographical memories and reveal the effect of their God image on the process of religious coping during the hardships they experience. In order to get in-depth information, qualitative research method was employed and participants of this research were specified through criterion, snowball, maximum variation sampling from purposive sampling methods. Interview method was implemented with a semi-structured view form. Totally 20 female university students between the age of 18-24 (average age: 20, 7), 8 (40%) of them experienced the loss of mother and 12 (60%) of them experienced the loss of father comprised the study group. Data collected by the researcher during the face to face interviews were evaluated by content analysis. As a result, the images of God as, "Close", "Forgiver/Merciful", "Protector", "Creator-All Mighty", "Rule Maker-Just", "Giving Patience" God became prominent respectively in the autobiographical memories of participants. When the hardships, coping processes or the lonely times of the participants who experienced the loss of a parent are considered; the identification of God more with the characteristic of "Close" is a meaningful point. Also it was recorded that "comforting God" image is included in religious coping processes during hard times for most of the participants. When the shared memories are analyzed in respect of the functions of autobiographical mind, it is identified that university students who experienced the loss of a parent, recall their autobiographical memories including God, mostly in order to direct their behaviors or give advice to others. It is observed that the participants do not have a punisher God image and also they do not evaluate their loss of parent as a possible punishment.